Forever
by CheshireNeko122
Summary: Lenalee is forced to befriend a psycho killer, who for no reason killed his best friend. What is the real reason behind this murder?
1. Chapter 1: A Strange Request

_~ Forever ~_

Komui hustled down the hallway, calling out Leenalee's name as if his life depended on it.

"Leeeeenaaaaaaaleeeeee!" I screeched, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Jeez, Supervisor, what do you want to see Leenalee about so badly?" asked an executive.

"I need to show her something~" he piped.

Scuttling down the hallway, he entered the cafeteria where he saw Leenalee at a table with all her friends. "Brother, what are you screaming about so early?" she huffed, annoyed.

"I want to show you something, now hurry~~~" he yelled.

With an agitated sigh, she stood up and followed her brother to the elevator. Pushing a series of buttons, the elevator descended to the bottom of the Dark Order Head Quarters.

"But, what's so special at the bottom of the HQ? Nothing's down here." She inquired.

"Oh, but Leenalee, something IS down here. Actually, SOMEONE is down here. And he is very dangerous, and he will possibly be joining you on a mission sometime soon." He explained, cradling his coffee mug.

"But, Nee-san, if this person is so dangerous, then why is he going on a mission?" she asked, confused.

"Because he is very powerful and can kill Akuma better than any exorcist here, other than the Marshalls." He explained. "His name is Cheshire, and his innocence has a very high synchronization rate, due to its parasitic relations to him. Right now, he's been deemed mentally insane, but we've tested him, and he seems stable enough. His innocence takes the form of black water that spouts from the air around him, and he can use it to morph his body or turn it into weapons or projectiles. He can instantly become very small, or the size of a sky-scraper in a matter of moments." He explained, more joyfully then necessary.

"But, Nee-San, why has he been deemed mentally insane?" she asked, wearily.

He suddenly turned very serious, almost grave. He hesitated, almost looking as if he'd told her too much already. "5 years ago…well, he always fought Akuma with this girl. Her name was Alice. You know, Bak-Sama's Sister? Right, well they were the best of friends. They shared everything together. When they were children, they shared toys, and when they were teenagers, they shared meals, feelings and inner-most thoughts. They knew everything about each other." He began. A shadow passed behind his eyes, almost as if he were considering whether to continue or not.

"Well, one day…they had both gone out on a mission. They did it all the time, and it was just like any other; a sighting of some Akumas around a nearby town. Well, they never made it to the Akumas. A few hours later, Cheshire returned with her….. Most of her in his arms. Her arms and legs were missing, gaping wounds left untended. She looked as if she had been run over by a train. Bak-sama went up to him, and asked him what had happened." He was barely murmuring the words now.

"What did he say…?" she whispered, her voice cracking and shaking.

He paused for a moment, and said,"He said that he had killed her."

Cringing at the look of bemused horror on Leenalee's face, he continued.

"Bak called him a bastard and asked him why he did it. He only responded that he did it merely because he had wanted to. Several trials after that and we were convinced he had done it only because he had wanted her dead. We were all confused as to why he would kill his best friend, but he wouldn't answer. It was always the same. 'Because I wanted to.' We deemed him mentally insane, and have locked him into a high-security room at the bottom of the establishment. If he would kill his best friend, he would have no problem killing a complete stranger." He finished.

Leenalee was violently shaking and looked as if she'd throw up. "But…if he's such a monster, then why is he alive?" she murmured.

"Because Hevlaska believes him to be a potential Marshall. We're pressed for exorcists already, so there's no way we'd give up a chance for a Marshall." He explained.

The Elevator ground to a halt at the very bottom of the HQ. They stepped off and followed a long hallway to the very end, where there was only one room. They walked inside, presenting a wall of glass, with a table full of mechanical controls and blinking monitors. Inside was an extendedly decorated room, full of plush pillows and books. Inside the room was empty.


	2. Chapter 2: Into the Lion's Den

"But…where is he?" Lenalee exclaimed.

"Don't worry, he's in there. Nothing in that room is the color black, and the reason to that is because Cheshire can't change his color. So anything black in that room is Cheshire." He explained.

She looked closer at the contents of the small room; everything was in pastel colors. Light blue, white, pink and yellow. The book shelves were all painted purple with just enough room for books so no one could hide in the spaces. The tiles of the floor were checkered blue and yellow, and the walls had flower patterns, all of which were in happy, feel good colors.

The only black thing in the room was the ceiling.

"We wanted to give him some privacy, so when he wants to be unseen, he can just stick to the roof or something. But as you've probably seen, he's one of those pillows there." Komui rambled.

"If he wants to be unseen, why doesn't he just become a dust speck or something?" she asked.

"Because his innocence has a certain limit of how much he can change. There's only so much he can shrink, and so much he can grow. The most comfortable for his innocence is in a human form, but he constantly takes the forms of inanimate objects." He responded.

For such a dark character, he must hate being surrounded by bright colors all the time, Lenalee thought.

"He hasn't hurt anyone in over 2 years, so we've decided it's safe to go into his room and interact with him. Not that he'd tell us anything." Komui said, typing in a few commands into his computer.

The hydraulic lock on the large door to his room hissed with escaping air pressure as a little light that said "Unlocked" flicked on.

There was a very complex system to get into Cheshire's Room. There were several doors to pass through. The first one took you into a small chamber, where it would detect if any of Cheshire's innocence was clinging to you. After it confirmed this variable, it would let you into his small abode. When you left, you'd have to do the same thing over again.

"We're trying to restore his faith in us again, so we're leaving him alone for now. He likes us best when we leave him alone, even though he doesn't like us at all." Komui said, grabbing something out of a small mini-fridge.

The items he grabbed were one plastic-wrapped cinnamon bun, and one apple juice box. He put them on a dinner tray and handed it to Lenalee. "His favorite snack." Was all he said.

Taking this as an invitation to the other room, she stood in front of the door as Komui typed a series of numbers into a keypad, causing the door to slide open. She stepped into the chamber as the computer gave her the "All Clear" and let her in.

A soft, piano-like song was playing from speakers on the ceiling, and the room was as frigid as a new spring day. As soon as she had entered the room, she felt an overwhelming sense of being trapped, or boxed in. All she wanted was to leave and she didn't know why.

"Lenalee. Cheshire can transmit emotions through the air. Pay no mind to any strange sensations you're feeling." Komui said through one of the speakers. Reassuring herself, she proceeded to set the tray on the ground and sit a little ways away from it. The black pillow started to quiver.


	3. Chapter 3: A Mysterious Presense

The pillow began to warp and twist, and was soon transformed into a cat-like figure. He slowly walked towards the tray, sitting in front of it. He stared at Lenalee with menacing eyes, eyes that were curious.

After staring for a little while, he picked up the cinnamon bun and began to unwrap it. He moved his clawed digits with such precision; you could tell he had been doing it for a long time.

"Why did you bring me this?" he asked after a while.

His voice caught her off-guard and unprepared, and she didn't know what to say. He patiently waited for her to collect her thoughts as he flicked his ears.

"Uhm…Komui says it's your favorite snack…" she squeaked.

"That doesn't explain why you brought it in." he responded. He was taking bites out of the cinnamon bun, convinced it wasn't poisoned or something.

"Well…I just thought you'd like it…" she scrambled for the right words. One wrong word, and he would never trust her.

"You did? But you said Komui told you it was my favorite. You had no part in the choosing to give it to me." He said around the cinnamon bun.

_Man, this guy was smart…_Lenalee thought.

"Komui says we should be friends." She spouted, without knowing why. She instantly felt confused, and guessed it was Cheshire's emotions reflected onto her.

"I can't have friends who imprison me." He said, matter-of-fact. He had finished his bun and was sipping the straw on his juice box.

"Well, Komui says that you might go on a mission soon." She was pleased that after she said this, she was filled with a sense of joy.

But he still looked as if there was something wrong. "What's the catch?" he asked wearily.

"Nothing, just so long as you don't hurt anybody." She explained.

"Why would I hurt someone?" he said, suddenly serious.

"Well, you hurt Alice, so-" His eyes had gone wide and a sinister cloud of annoyance passed in front of his eyes. He had stood up, and looked as if he'd leave the room.

"No! I-I didn't mean that, it's just-!" she sputtered, but it had been too late.

"Don't come back again." Was all he said, as he drifted up to the ceiling and merged with it, as if he'd never been there.

The room was completely silent as she went up to the door feeling drained and upset. As Komui let her in, a look of disappointment was stuck on his face.

"Sigh…we'll just have to try again later." He said as the elevator took them up to the top level.


	4. Chapter 4: Free At Last

As I sat at the cafeteria table, staring at my cereal, I knew I had failed my brother's wishes.

"So what if you pissed off a psycho killer? It's not like he'll kill you in the night." Lavi said.

"Yeah, Lenalee, don't beat yourself up about it. He's just a little kitty~ " Allen responded, picking up his mountain of dishes. Timcanpy twitched in annoyance at the thought of a cat travelling with them.

"But, he's supposed to trust me, and I might have really hurt him…." She whispered.

"If he murdered someone so dear to him, he deserves all the hurt in the world." Kanda philosophized.

They were all hanging around the cafeteria as the last chattering finders hustled out to start their work day. There was no one but them. "Sigh…well, I'm going to go talk to my brother." She sighed, getting up from the table.

She found him sorting through some paperwork in his office chair, not that his mountainous stack would shrink due to his efforts. "Nee-san, I was wondering if I could see Cheshire again today." She squeaked.

"No need, Lenalee! We decided he doesn't need friends to co-operate, so we're just going to send him out with you and a couple finders. Don't worry, we've sworn that we'll execute him if he hurts anybody except Akumas." He piped.

He got out of his chair, and strode towards the center of the HQ. The elevator was at the bottom, so it took a while to come up. "We've been getting him ready for the past 30 minutes. He's been kind of fidgety." He chuckled.

The elevator came up, adorned with several finders, executives and an exasperated-looking Cheshire.

"That's the guy?" Lavi said, coming up behind her with the rest of her friends.

"He really is like a cat." Kanda mused with a 'humph'.

They half pushed, half dragged him across the platform and basically threw him onto the deck. Nudging him in the back, one of the finders ordered him to say hi. "Hello…" he said in a monotone voice.

"Great! Good job guys, getting him into uniform." He squealed.

"It's a little snug…" Cheshire complained, and got a jab in the back for his efforts.

Piling everyone onto the elevator, they descended to the canal that would take them away from the HQ. Using up several boats, they eventually reached the clearing. The group of finders and exorcists walked out onto the grassy front yard of the HQ. Cheshire was glancing around as if he were in the magic wonderland of get-anything-you-want-for-free land.

"Woooaaaahh….I haven't seen trees in years…" he said, scratching his boots against the grass.

Lenalee giggled and got a glance from Cheshire that was quickly replaced by bored humor.

"All right, then, let's start on this mission!" she exclaimed, and they all strode off towards the nearby train station.


	5. Chapter 5: A Cold Glance

They walked through the tree-shrouded forests, all keeping an eye on the murderous Cheshire. He didn't seem to notice. The two finders escorting him each had a talisman with two abilities: An Innocence Subduing talisman and a paralyzing talisman. They would be sufficient to stop him if he tried to escape.

He was enjoying this little walk as if it was a birthday, Christmas and Easter rolled into a single day. He was whistling and brushing the grass with his tail, and taking in every single detail of the forests. Since he had animal-like abilities, he whistled sweetly at the nearby robins as one landed on his clawed hand. He used his finger to scratch its belly fluff and watched it fly off into the trees.

They were quite a bit farther ahead than Cheshire, so they had the freedom of speech.

"This is the guy who killed his friend in cold blood? Are you sure it's the right one?" Kanda whispered under his breath.

"My brother had him in a maximum security prison, as if it was his dying wish to keep him in there. I'm pretty sure this is the one." She whispered back.

Timcanpy leapt off of Allen's head, and swivelled through the air towards Cheshire. Seeing he was a cat, he quickly darted back to Allen and hid under his coat "Tim, he's not THAT kind of cat. He won't eat you." Allen whispered, patting the lump in his coat. He still didn't come out.

They had reached the train station, where their train was already waiting for them. They hurried on board and got VIP seating at the front of the monstrous vehicle. Only moments after they sat down, the pistons on the train lurched to life, propelling the beast along the tracks.

Cheshire sunk his claws into the seat and looked extremely uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, Cheshire?" Lenalee asked, curious.

"Nnnh...I don't like trains..." he spat, grinding his teeth.

Lavi chuckled in amusement, considering it was a four-hour train ride to the arctic northern wastes. They spent the rest of the day, guessing what was causing such industrial weather in the Arctic Wastes. Sure, it was cold most of the time, but it didn't blizzard for 23 hours straight every day. There had to be an innocence fragment involved. Maybe it was causing the weather.

After an excruciatingly long trip, Cheshire bolted out the doors and across the train station, where he hooked himself to a bench to catch his breath.

"It couldn't have been THAT bad..." Allen said. Cheshire looked as if he was going to throw up.

Leaving the train station, it was instantly knee-high trudging through the snow. They were all shivering within 5 minutes of their journey.

"Why did Komui have to send us into a blizzarrrrdddd...?" Lavi complained over the howling wind.

"I don't find it cold at all." Cheshire said, or what was supposed to be Cheshire. What was standing in his spot was a silhouette-like outline of Cheshire, which gave off a slick smoke, and left the snow smouldering in his wake.

Everyone who hadn't seen this was genuinely alarmed, except for Lenalee. She knew he could change his shape. "But...how are you not freezing?" Allen exclaimed.

"When I'm in a morphed form of say, another person or an animal, I can generate my own body heat, but when I'm in my natural state, my cells aren't capable of warming my body. But when I take the form of an immobile item, like a coffee mug, they don't need heat. Right now, I've transformed into something called "Black Fire" which, of course, would keep me warm." He explained, melting the snow around him.

"Man, that is just cree-"Kanda was trying to say, when Lavi piped in.

"AMAZING! Yes, that is pretty cool! Ehehehh..." He chuckled, pulling Kanda aside.

After getting a distance away, he hissed, "Do you want him to kill you? If you annoy him, he'll smother you in your sleep or something!"

"I can take him. If he comes at me, I'd do the Dark Order a favour, taking him from this world." Kanda replied.

After arguing for a while about how to deal with an attack from Cheshire, they came upon a cabin. It looked heated, and occupied. Not to mention warm. Everyone bolted for the door.


	6. Chapter 6: A Good Night's Sleep

Slipping along the icy sidewalk, Allen rapped on the door as we all waited for a much-appreciated response. An old man wearing a heavy jacket opened the door.

"Visitors? In the middle of this weather?" He mumbled, incredulously.

"Uh…Sir, we understand there's been some strange phenomenon going on around here?" asked Lavi, shivering.

His eyes grew wide, and he looked past them to see if anyone was watching from the trees.

"Please, come inside." He whispered, pushing them into the door.

After warming up and sitting at the man's table, a small girl came with cups of hot-chocolate and small buns. Allen took almost all of them.

"We were expecting the dark apostles to arrive…" he spoke gravely, as if our presence were painful for him. "You see, my previous house burnt down…and my ill son was trapped in the fire. He didn't make it**. **But, I heard that in this forest, there is a magical tree." He explained, growing hopeful as he spoke about the problem. "It is said that the leaves of this tree can revive the dead…me and my daughter have been striving to find this tree for a year now. The tree does not want to be found, so it onslaughts these valleys with horrible weather."

"That does sound like a strange phenomenon…" Lenalee pondered. "We'll set out in a minute to continue our search of this strange shrubbery."

"Oh, please! Stay here the night! It's getting dark, and horrible monsters come out, that look for this tree. I would feel dreadful if you ran into one of them…" he spoke with what must have been genuine sincerity.

"They are called Akuma, and we are specially trained to deal with them." Kanda mumbled angrily, annoyed at this man's feeble worrying.

"BUT, if it would make you feel better, WE'LL STAY!" Lavi said, shooting Kanda a look. "I swear, you just can't take care of yourself, can you, Yu?" Lavi teased.

After pulling Kanda form the floor and off of Lavi, the man that had invited us in handed out sleeping bags and threw some logs into his fireplace. It took a while for the man to hand out Cheshire's, so by the time he came to the back of the room, all the space in front of the fireplace was taken.

_Damn. I'm gonna freeze to death…_ he thought.

About an hour into the night, everyone was sound asleep…except Cheshire. He WAS freezing to death. Well, not to death, but to the point of a cold-induced coma. He could turn into an inanimate object, like a rock or something. But then he'd use too much energy, and wouldn't be able to sleep anyways. Even if he turned into an animal, he still wouldn't be able to sleep.

The one animal that used the least amount of energy was a common house cat. He could also sleep in this form. But because of his genetic make-up, that form, too, could not produce any body heat.

_Well, I'll be damned. Komui really must hate me._ He pondered. Then an idea struck him, like a boot to the forehead.

Turning into a cat, he slithered out of his sleeping bag, and sauntered across the room to Lenalee's sleeping bag. He wouldn't do anything wrong, like feel her up in her sleep. He'd just sleep on her toes.

Using his nose to nudge open the top of her sleeping bag, he crawled inside to the bottom, and lay at the base of the sack. He moved carefully, as not to wake her, and rolled onto her toes.

_Soooooo waaaarrrmmmm….._ He purred, snuggling into her pant legs. He spent the night blissfully sleeping on her toes, dreaming of finding the innocence and bringing it back, triumphant and grinning like a cat.

He was abruptly woken from his dreams by an un-satisfying kick to the ribs. Leenalee wore metal shoes for her innocence, so it didn't tickle.

"Hrrrmmmm…Gosh, my feet are hot. Wait…there's something fuzzy in my sleeping bag…" she mumbled in her post-sleep state.

Giving a startled gasp, she quickly tore out of her sleeping back, almost crushing his head as she did it. Rough hands grasped him by the scruff of his neck, peeling him from his warm, silicone bed.

"Wait…it's a cat?" Kanda growled, confused, holding the night-time intruder at eye level. "How did it even get in?"

He quickly turned back into human form, breaking free from his grasp and landing on his spine against the cold, wooden floor. He sat up, rubbing his back and yawning. He looked up to see everyone's white faces, guessing at what he could have done to Lenalee while she slept.

"Wait, no, I didn't…I mean…I was just sleeping on her feet, because I was…um…cold and all, so…" he tripped over his own words. Despite all his efforts of fighting for his pure reputation, he still got clipped in the jaw by Kanda.

Rubbing his cheek the rest of the trip down the hill, they came to the bottom, where some travelers were waiting for them.


	7. Chapter 7: Ambush

"Huh...seems those chaps have been waiting for us." Cheshire murmured.

Allen was already on it, using his magic demon eye. "Um...the one on the right is an Akuma, but the other one is human!" he yelled.

Everyone jumped into action, Kanda unsheathing his sword and Lavi removing his hammer. The Akuma chuckled in amusement, and broke out of its disguise into a grotesque harlequin-like level 2.

"Wahahaha! Stupid exorcists! The innocence will be ours! Attack!" he chortled, as dozens of Akuma poured from the trees, all cackling maniacally.

"I haven't fought Akuma in 5 years. Hopefully I've still got it~" Cheshire mused. With their combined efforts, the horde of monsters was quickly diminished to the first one we encountered.

"Ehh...ahahah...urm..."he quivered. He quickly tore off to the sky, but Lenalee smashed down on his head, and he exploded into a bunch of demon pieces.

"Alright, let's go get the innocence." Lavi said, grinning, as they heard shouts from behind them.

"P-Please wait, Apostles! We need that tree, too..." the old man yelled, skiing down the hill.

"God, this guy is persistent..." Kanda huffed. "If he's obstructing the obtaining of an Innocence fragment, we do have orders to dispatch him."

"Kanda! We can't beat up an old man! Plus, he just wants to help his son!" Lenalee squealed.

He got to the bottom, huffing and puffing, his daughter close behind. "W-We need the leaves of the tree..." he wheezed.

"That tree is ours, and I don't think some tree leaves will heal your son." Kanda spat, annoyed.

"B-B-But, the legends say that the tree in the cave heal the injured and the sick...they HAVE to heal my son." He whined.

"The injured and the sick aren't the dead." Lenalee mused.

After arguing for a while, they all went on in a group, searching for a tree.

After coming across a cave, Allen whispered,"I think it's in there..."

So they all went in, and were presented with a glowing tree, radiating molten energy.


	8. Chapter 8: Mission Complete

"So it seems we have located the innocence." Cheshire clucked, stating the obvious.

"Alright, let's get this mission over with." Kanda growled, launching himself at the tree, his sword drawn.

The tree erupted in a blast of fiery energy, knocking him back and flattening him against the wall.

"Baka, it's magic. You can't get to it." Cheshire teased, scratching his ear.

Kanda looked angered for a moment at being called 'baka', but decided not to instigate the insane psycho killer and instead think of how to get the innocence out of the tree.

"Hmm...I could use my innocence to slice it in half..." Allen pondered. Activating his arm, he swooped towards the tree, hopping over the wave of energy, and plucking the upper half of the tree from the trunk. Sitting on the stump was a glowing orb of innocence.

"Yay! We got it!" Lenalee chirped, looking excited. The leaves on the tree instantly began to die, one by one as its life source was removed. Exiting the cave, the old man slammed into Allen, knocking him to the floor. They were all too surprised to act right away, so they watched for a minute.

"N-No! It's mine! I've been searching for it for years! I need it to help my son!" The old man screamed into Allen's face. "Give it back, give it back, give it back!"

Kanda plucked the man from Allen, and held him at eye level. "Innocence does indeed create strange phenomenon, but Innocence does not possess the power to revive the dead. Therefore, stop interrupting our mission so we can return to our HQ." Kanda growled, angrily.

The man sputtered for a moment, wondering whether to make a response or not. Finally, he said, "But...My son needs it..."

Kanda threw him to the ground, annoyed that he hadn't understood a single thing he had said. Taking the innocence from Allen, he started to walk away.

"Hey! Yuuuuuuu, where are you gooooiiiing?" Lavi called.

"I'm going to the train station. I'll wait for you there." He answered, angrily.

After explaining to the old man that innocence wouldn't bring his son back, he sadly left, allowing us to leave. Finally getting to the train station, we boarded the train and began to speed back to the HQ. After several long hours of watching Cheshire grit his teeth and ruin the leather seat, they arrived home.

After taking the innocence to Hevlaska, they met up in Komui's office.

"Nee-San, we got the innocence!" Lenalee cheered.

"Great! Did Cheshire do anything?" Komui asked, sipping his coffee.

"No, he was fine. The finders were bored the whole time." She said, twirling around.

"That's good, because I've got another mission for you. ^^"


	9. Chapter 9: Dream

He was sitting at one of the cafeteria tables, shovelling food into his mouth at a speed that made Allen envious.

"Slow down, man! You're gonna choke!" Lavi whined, sipping at his soup.

"I'm parasitic type *nom nom* so I need to eat!" He grumbled around mashed potatoes and apple juice.

A crackling, buzzing sound resonated through the cafeteria, and Komui's voice seeped from the speakers.

"Attention, Exorcists! Cheshire, Lavi, Allen and Kanda, to the head office please and thank you 3!" he screeched.

After dragging Cheshire from his meal, they all filed into Komui's office. Lenalee was sitting on his chair, reading one of his manga books.

"Good, you're all here! I have another mission for you, and Cheshire, you're going too. Of course, a few finders will be accompanying you, but if you're as behaved as last time, you'll do fine!" he squealed, putting his coffee mug on his desk.

"Nee-San, just get with the mission, already!" Lenalee whined, bored with the manga.

"Fine. There's a town, where time has stood still. The day October 30th just keeps repeating itself. I suspect it is the work of...AN INNOCENCE! Da da daaaaa!" he explained, dramatically.

They all looked at each other, concerned as to Komui's mental health.

"And as my strongest exorcists, OF COURSE I'M SENDING YOU THERE!" he shrieked. "DO I HAVE TO SPELL EVERYTHING OUT FOR YOU?"

"Um...no, sir." Kanda sighed, wanting to get this over with.

"Right! So, tomorrow morning, you'll be setting out again to retrieve another innocence, and maybe even an exorcist! So, hurry up and sleep so you can go already!" he screamed, shoving us all out the door.

"Jeez, what's with him?" Lavi huffed, scratching his head. They all announced their annoyance, and dispersed to their rooms.

Earlier, a finder had told Cheshire that he was granted an official exorcist bedroom, so he was eager to go to sleep, too.

Opening the door to his bottom-level room, he leaped inside and flopped on his bed. There was a heater in the corner of the room, making it hot and muggy. Perfect. Snuggling up in his blankets, without even taking his clothes of first, he drifted into a blissful sleep.

_He was floating on darkness, an ominous wind whipping his hair across his face. He glanced around, confused as to his whereabouts. He couldn't see anything, it was too dark. Then something came into focus across the great, black chasm, barely there. He focused his eyes, staring intently at the floating shape. Then recognition slapped him in the face, like a wall of steel._

"_Alice?" he whispered. His breathe was trapped in his chest, too scared to come out. He had gone rigid. Alice was dead. What was this horrible apparition?_

_She sauntered towards him, giggling like she used to. She locked eyes with me, as a smile broke onto her face. Why was she happy to see me?_

"_Cheeeshhhiiiirrreee…." She whispered, calling him to her, like the siren she was. He wanted to go, but inconveniently, he was chained to the floor. He pulled against the chains, trying to break free, to go to his friend, whether she was dead or not._

_Once again, his breath caught in his chest, stopping his lungs and stilling his heart. Hundreds and hundreds of demons swarmed around her, tilting their guns, ready to shoot. She looked at them in horror, but it was too late. He called her name, but it was no use._

_They crowded around her, shooting her full of holes, and wiping the smile from her face. Instead, she wore a terrified gasp, replaced by the blood pouring from her mouth. I screamed her name, but she was dead._

_The chains disappeared from my arms, and I dashed through the bottomless space towards her. Kneeling beside her, clutching her in my arms, I whispered her name. She was silent. Even in his dreams, she would die in front of him. Then she whipped her head towards him, and screeched, "YOU DID THIS TO MEEEEE!"_

He whipped himself up trough his covers, leaving him sitting on his bed, panting. He had been haunted by dreams like that, each one being just as horrible as the first. Sighing his displeasure, he climbed out of bed, and began to get dressed. It was going to be a long day.


	10. Chapter 10: On The Road Again

After they all got cleaned up and dressed, they left for the train station in late afternoon. Again, a few finders accompanied Cheshire, who they feared would snap any minute. He seemed to be slightly better on the train then last time, but he still freaked out.

"I city where time has stood still…quite mysterious, eh, Yu?" Lavi mumbled, falling asleep.

"I don't care what it's like, as long as we retrieve the innocence." Kanda answered, already annoyed.

"Yu, there is a saying that goes 'Work now, play later.' Your version of it is 'Work now, work later, and work after that. Don't you ever get tired?" Lavi complained.

"A real man never gets tired of his duties." Kanda muttered, sitting back in his seat.

"What? But I always thought you were a girl! Look at your long hair!" Lavi shrieked.

The train almost derailed itself from the constant rocking of the cabin, so a staff member had to ask Kanda to settle down. He did so, but with several anger marks hovering around his head. Lavi was giggling the rest of the ride.

With the train screeching to a stop, they all piled out and headed down one of the cobblestone paths.

"Hrmm…I haven't been to this city in years…" Cheshire murmured, looking around curiously.

"Cheshire, you always say 'I haven't done this in years' and all that! How old are you?" Lenalee asked.

"Hm? 18, why, do I look older?" Cheshire asked, rubbing his club-like palms against his eyes after licking them.

"No, it's just it seems you've been alive for quite some time now. When was the last time you were out and about?" Lenalee questioned, curious.

"Uuummm…lessee….I was 14 the last time I was out. Alice was about that age, too…in fact, she was a little bit older than me." He said with a chuckle.

They all exchanged glances at the mention of her name, used so lightly. Kanda pricked his eyebrows, suggesting further questioning. Lavi furiously shook his head, concerned for his well-being. Kanda plowed on anyways.

"So, cat-thing, why _did_ you kill Alice? Just for the record." Kanda asked, with a straight face.

Cheshire didn't even flinch, he just answered as if he were programmed to do so. "Because I wanted to." He said, looking at the ground.

"Yeah, but why would you want to?" Kanda pressed on, devoid of fear.

"Why else? Because I wanted her dead, of course." He responded, matter-of-fact.

"You disgust me." Kanda spat, with a sneer.

After some more walking, they stood in front of the city gates. It didn't look any different than any other city; people were walking around, discussing recent events, all that jazz. After looking to each other for reassurance, they all took a step forward.


	11. Chapter 11: Fighting Already

They all stepped into the timeless city, and were surprised to find the day had rewound to early morning, as well as the people reversing into their morning activities.

"So it's true...this city really does rewind..."Allen sighed, looking around. Timcanpy snuggled into his head, curiously flicking his tail.

They all strode down the wet, mossy cobblestone street, looking here and there for clues. The finders looked preoccupied with fiddling with their talismans, so Cheshire was free to walk in equal strides with the rest of them. His ears pricked in the wind, but he seemed genuinely amused with the city.

They heard a shriek in the distance, followed by a decrepit, old looking woman shooting out of the alleys. She looked as if her life had been scared out of her. Locking eyes with the group of exorcists, she sprinted up to them.

"P-Please! Help me! There's a monster in the alley!" she sobbed, pointing.

"Whoa, whoa! Calm down! First, who are you?" Lavi soothed, trying to calm her down.

"M-Miranda Lotto! Now, please! The monster!" She shrieked. Growing more hysterical by the second, she decided that talking to the exorcists wasn't very important anymore. She zipped off down the cobblestone, towards the apartments.

"Ah! But, wait!" Allen called, but she was gone.

"Whatever. Let's just go get the 'monster'." Kanda huffed, striding towards the alley.

They all followed, and came upon a Level 2 Akuma cackling in the dark recesses of the alley.

"Kehehe! That woman sure looked scared!" he hissed, turning around. "Eh? Exorcists?"

Without a word, Kanda sprung into action, drawing his sword and attacking the Akuma.

After fighting for some time, the Akuma was still standing.

"Cheshire, you stay here and fight the Akuma! The rest of us are going after the woman!" Allen yelled over the Akuma's screaming. Nodding in agreement, the finders and Cheshire stayed behind as the rest of them left the alley.

"Hey! Don't you dare run away!" the Akuma screamed, dashing off towards them. Cheshire leapt into the air, slashing his claws against the metallic body of the Earl's creation. Black oil seeped from the rigid cuts, as he began cackling maniacally.

"Finally, this fight is going somewhere. Too bad your little friends had to miss out on the fun!" he screamed, slashing towards Cheshire. He quickly parried the blow, sending the Akuma flying backwards, crashing into the wall.

It seemed he finally noticed the finders, because all Akuma knew that finders didn't carry weapons. His laugh piercing the air, he sent dagger-like poison barbs into the necks of both the finders.

"Damn!" Cheshire yelled, leaping from the roof of a building. He came down, careening on the Akuma, knocking his head clean off of his body. With a wheezing burst of laughter, he exploded into a cloud of Akuma dust, its soul rising into the atmosphere.

Cheshire knelt down beside one of the finders. Blood poured from his mouth, staining his cloak. He tried to mumble a few words, but they were muffled by his profuse coughing.

"Sorry, Mr. Finder. Guess I couldn't save you." Cheshire whispered, reaching for the barb. The finder was already dead, so there was no point in leaving it in there.

Covered in the finder's blood, he took the barb from his neck, just in time for all his friends to see it.


	12. Chapter 12: Road

Lenalee's scream pierced the air, resonating throughout the walls and startling the pigeons that settled on the roof. They all stared in horror at the person hovering over the dead finder. Of course they all thought he killed him, but looks can be deceiving.

"You…what did you do?" Kanda spat, drawing his sword.

"Whoa, whoa, the AKUMA did this, I'm just…removing the dagger." He said, hoping they'd believe him.

"Liar! You've been waiting to kill the finders, so you could escape!" Lavi screamed, comforting Lenalee.

They all looked at him as if he were some wretched monster that clawed itself from the gates of hell just to reap havoc on their perfect world. He abruptly stood up and backed away from the crumpled finder, trying to look as innocent as he could. He was horrible at feigning emotions, but he hoped they would notice his emotion change. Their conflict was interrupted by a giggle that resonated through the air.

A girl sitting on an umbrella floated through the air, and hovered over the group.

"Teehee! That was fun to watch, you know. A good fight for my Akuma, too. Don't worry, Mr. Exorcist, your little cat friend hasn't broken your contract yet. True, my Akuma did kill him, but that doesn't matter. I wanna play a game. " she said, giggling. Her hair was a deep purple, with a crest of black stars adorning her head. Her skin was the color of the sky when it rained, leaving her looking childish and innocent.

"Who are you?" Kanda barked, sheathing his sword.

"My, my, such a rude greeting! Don't worry, your red-haired friend knows aaaallllll about me. Why don't you ask him~" she said in a sing songy voice. She seemed to be enjoying this.

Lavi had become as white as the girls blouse, his hair losing its sheen. "You…you're a Noah…" he choked.

"Wonderful, wonderful! You do know about me! Which mean, you do know who sent me here, right?" she said, drifting a little closer to the group.

"The Millennium Earl…you're Road Camelot, the second oldest Noah…"he whispered, looking dizzy. He already knew that Noah clansmen held extraordinary powers, able to dispatch a man with the flick of a wrist.

"Yes, quite informed Bookman Junior. Now, about that game. ~" she said, grinning. The world was enveloped in darkness for a moment, the world buckling and swimming underneath them. They were whipped into the sky, and entrapped in a closed space.

When Cheshire awoke, he was trapped in a tight cage, bells wrapped around his neck and wrists. They jingled as he sat up, studying his surroundings. Allen was nailed to the wall, looking quite ill. Lavi was wrapped up like a mummy with present wrappings, dozens of sharp candles pointing at him. Kanda was trapped in a tank of water, with a steel grating hanging above it. He was chained to the bottom, and desperately trying to keep his head above the water. Lenalee sat motionless in a chair; all dressed up like a doll. In the middle of it all, Rode stood sucking on some candy. She was wearing Allen's exorcist coat and was giggling maniacally.

Cheshire sat up fully in his small cage, barely enough room to sit up straight. He tried to take off one of the bells, but a candle whipped through the bars of his cage, nailing it to his wrist.

"Ack-"he coughed, trying to wrench the candle from his paw.

"Hehehe. Silly kitty . Your master didn't train you very well, did she?" she whispered, driving herself into his mind. "Don't worry, I'll teach you some manners."

"You crazy witch…" he said, sticking his face through the bars. "What is up with you Noah people? Are you all high?"

Her face twisted in horror, as she launched another candle at him, almost sticking him through the brain. "Don't you dare insult the Noah Clan. We were chosen by God, not you dumb Exorcists."

Allen stirred against the wall, moaning with pain as fresh blood seeped from the nails in his arms. "What…is this?" he mumbled.

"Oh! Finally, you're awake, Allen~ I was waiting for you!" she said, smiling and giggling. A spotlight flicked on, and underneath it sat the old woman from the alley. She was crying softly, her hands nailed to a clock.

"See? Now you know how much I like games~ let's get started! "


	13. Chapter 13: Battle

She strolled around the checker floor, giggling at the Exorcist's feeble struggles. Kanda was gurgling in his tub, while Allen was painfully trying to wrench his arm free of the wall.

"A-A-A, Allen, no escaping. "she giggled, wiggling her finger. "You haven't heard the rules of my game. ~"

She walked towards him, and stroked her finger down his cheek. "Boy, you sure are cute. " she sang.

He sputtered in the blood dripping from his lips, but his face held a look of diseased hatred, as if he could kill the Noah with a look alone.

"Alright, here's the game! You all have to escape from those traps you're in. If you do, I let you go. That is, if you manage to escape. I had Jesdebbi design these traps himself, so I doubt it will be easy." She giggled.

"L-Lero, is it okay to be playing with them, lero? I thought Earl-Tama just wanted them dead, lero!" her umbrella chattered.

"Oh, shush. I'm allowed to have some fun in a while." She pouted. "Now, begin the game! By the way, you only have 1 minute~. " she squealed, playing with the buttons on Allen's coat.

Kanda desperately tried to lift the steel grating hanging inches from his head while Lavi wriggled uselessly in his gift wrapping. Lenalee's eyes flickered as her mind tried to pry herself from the spell it was in.

Cheshire wasn't afraid. He doubted Road knew of his abilities. Sitting back in his cage, he activated his innocence, and expanded in the cage. She watched on in wonder as he became as big as he could in the small bars, yet he became bigger yet. The metal whined and buckled under the pressure until they all exploded outwards, clanging against the floor.

"Hm, looks like the little kitty is first." She said, sounding almost disappointed.

Returning to normal size, he leapt across the room. He tried to bring his hand down on the wrappings binding Lavi, but a cloud of candles had flown towards him. They impaled him through several points in his hands and chest, nailing him to the floor. He coughed up a spurt of blood as he tried to get himself off the floor.

"Ohhh, too bad. You're disqualified, kitten. It seems you tried to helps someone, so that makes you out of the game. Sorry ." She giggled, pointing more candles at him. "Game over."

She was right about to impale his heart until a giant hammer came sailing through the air, crashing right into Road. She spun across the room, sneering as she got up. "That's not fair! You had help, you big meenie!" she yelled, sounding like a little kid.

"Well, you weren't fair from the start." He said, retracting his hammer. "You alright, Cheshire?"

"Oh, I'm just dandy." He spat, gritting through the pain. Lavi pried the sharp candles from his arms and legs, freeing Cheshire from the ground. Using his innocence, he sealed his wounds. "You go help the others, I'll deal with her."

Nodding, he jumped off towards Kanda, and started fiddling with the cage. Cheshire turned to Road, extending his claws to sword-like lengths.

"Ooh! This is getting fun! " she sang, collecting more candles. Cheshire dashed towards her, priming his limbs for an attack. She formed her candles into an oblong sword, and started whipping it down against him. He held his arms on top of him, parrying the attacks. Although she was strong, when her candles were together they were quite slow. Laughing with glee, she continued to smash the candle down on top of him, again and again. A small crater formed around his feet as he was pushed into the ground.

His arms were bloodied and swollen, and right before he thought they'd get smashed off, a dark shape flew through the air, slicing the candle sword in two. Kanda stood up, holding two glowing swords.

"Mugen, First Illusion!" he called, his blade flaring up with power. He slashed his sword through the air, a cloud of creatures escaping from his blade. They sailed through the air, biting and nipping. Road brushed them aside with her candles, looking quite amused. She giggled, taking the smashed candles from her sword and breaking them apart into individual candles.

A few moments later, Lenalee was standing next to them, as well as Allen and the old woman from before. She whined in fear as Road stared at them with her snake-like eyes. "You all cheated." She hissed.

"You said if we escaped, you'd let us go." Kanda growled, holding his sword higher.

"Hmm…welllll, I did say that…..BUT you all broke the rules in escaping. You helped each other, so I guess you'll be here forever!" she giggled, sending her candles flying at them.

Kanda jumped to the front, slashing each candle into small pieces as the sailed by. A cloud of shredded wax lay at his feet, sticky and mushy. She had no more candles.

"Oh, phooey. You guys are just awful playmates. I don't want you anyways!" she yelled, as the floor disappeared out from under them. They all fell through infinite space, until they all thumped onto the cobblestone of the Timeless City.


	14. Chapter 14: Gone

Groggily sitting up, they all realized where they were. People still mulled around as if nothing had happened, and everything was still just super. Miranda was the first one to say something.

"H-Hey! Time is back to normal!" she shrieked, jumping for joy. "This is wonderful!"

"Is it?" Lavi asked, rubbing his head. "Time back to normal, I mean." Kanda grabbed a newspaper from the nearby stand, and saw that it read October 31st. The next day.

"Well, it seems we've avoided ONE catastrophe." He said, throwing the newspaper onto the stand. "Anyways, how did it even stop in the first place?"

"Well…I think my clock…did it…" Miranda whispered, shrinking back as if someone would hit her.

"Your clock? Does that mean you're an accommodator?" Allen asked, brushing dust from his coat. Somehow he got it back from Road. He reached into the pocket of it, and saw there was a note. _I hope we play again, Allen._ He sighed and put the note back in his pocket. He didn't have girls to worry about now.

"Accommodator? Like…AN EXORCIST?" she shrieked, abruptly standing up. "B-B-But, I'm just a lonely woman! I would make a h-h-horrible Exorcist!"

"Miranda, the Innocence chooses whoever it wants, so I'm afraid you don't have a choice." Lenalee said, undoing her hair from its fancy, curly state.

"B-b-but…" she stammered, looking almost as if she would cry.

"Jeez, just get your clock to the Dark Order already. You sentimental types make me sick." Kanda complained, walking towards the city gates. "Let's go already."

Miranda had wanted to get a few things before they left, but the Exorcists could spare no time. They left her to gather her things as they returned to the Dark Order. Komui was quite pleased with their findings of an accommodator, and welcomed them from their mission.

"Cheshire-kun, I do hope you didn't get into any trouble while you were gone." He said, smiling. "I would hate to lock you up again~."

"Well, actually, those 2 finders you sent are dead, so…I don't know if that counts as trouble." He said, looking sheepish.

"Dead? How?" Komui yelled, startling everybody.

"An Akuma! It was an Akuma! Jeez, what, do you think I did it?" he yelled.

"Of course I do! You're a cold blooded murderer! Why wouldn't you kill the finders?" he screeched.

"Nee-San, it really _wasn't_ him. It was an Akuma." Lenalee said, her hair wet from a shower.

"Hmm…well, if my darling Lenalee says so, then fine. Go get cleaned up, you're all filthy as rats." He ordered as the Exorcists dispersed.

_Great. This whole ordeal is over._ Cheshire thought, going into his room. Sitting on his bed, he flicked on his little TV. He hadn't watched TV in about 4 years, so it was quite an aspect. He started licking his paws hygienically, trying to get the dried blood off of them. His spit had a cleaning solution in it, so he wasn't dirtying himself.

Afterwards, he slipped into bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

Road skipped down the hallway of the Millennium Manor, towards a great throne room. A chair sat on a small staircase, adorned with a bored looking Earl.

"Millenny, I fought those Exorcists, just like you asked!~" she squealed excitedly, jumping onto his lap.

"Yes, yes, very good, Road. Tell me, did you get what I wanted?" he asked, his eyes glinting.

"Hehehe!...Nope!" she said, giggling. "They were too sneaky for me. Plus, they're cheaters."

"Awww. Well, that's just too bad. Maybe next time I'll send Jasdevi. They're better at tricks and games."

"What? No! I promise, I'll get it next time! I'll get ALL of their innocence! Jasdevi is sloppy, and slow! I can do it better!" she whined, flailing her arms.

"Well then, show me!" he yelled, flinging her off his lap. She twirled through the air, and landed on a floating Lero.

"Teehee! See you later, Millenny! ~" she squealed, zipping off like a witch on a broomstick.

"Ahahah…yes, little Road. Go make me proud." He said, with a sinister smile.

….

Cheshire woke to a tapping at his window. He sleepily stood up and walked to the wall, to see an agitated woodpecker poking the glass.

"Shoo, shoo. I don't have any food for you." He said, waving his hand. The woodpecker looked surprised, even hurt, then flew off with the chatter of its song. Animals naturally flocked to Cheshire. It could be because he himself was an animal, or maybe his arms just looked like tree branches.

He got dressed in his usual manly corset, underneath his exorcist uniform. He didn't like wearing it, but Komui had said that as long as he did, he would be treated as an exorcist. So he wore it.

Stepping outside his room, he saw that no one was around. Usually, people were strolling along the hallways, or talking along the balconies. Now, it was empty. The elevator was called to the top, having not been touched since last night. He went to the cafeteria, to see it was completely empty. Had he slept in _that_ late? He hoped not.

Checking Komui's office, there was no one there, either. No one outside in the courtyard. No one in the lounge. No one in the laboratory. No one in the study hall. The Dark Order was completely empty except for him. Panicking, he took the elevator down to where Hevlaska would be. She was gone too.

Taking the elevator back to the top, he really started to worry. "Where is everyone?" he called, his voice echoing through the catacombs of the HQ. He walked around the whole perimeter of the Dark Order, but to no avail. Then he saw a little piece of paper, flapping in the wind. He ripped it off, and read the words.

_I've taken your little friends. Yes, all of them. If you want them back, you'll have to play another game with me. And this time, no cheating._


	15. Chapter 15: Noah

Huffing agitatedly, Cheshire began the long journey from the Dark Order to the place the small note had depicted. It had said that the Noah Mansion was positioned right over an Italian city. He didn't even know why he was saving these people, considering they had been nothing but cruel to him. They had trapped him, accused him, and even beaten him. He shivered at the thought. They were all still sour because he had killed Alice. He never regretted it. He did it because he had to.

Skipping to another topic of thought, Cheshire pondered where in the great city this 'giant mansion' would be placed. It shouldn't be too hard to find a giant, dark, cloudy cathedral in the midst of a city full of small, quaint houses. They all looked like houses little elves who fixed shoes would live in. The city had become so overpopulated, that they needed to build smaller houses to make room for more people. The residents were cramped into small, single room shacks, left to do nothing but grovel in their own self helplessness in their situation.

Most people left their houses during the day, to escape the cluttered, tiny living spaces, but as Cheshire looked around, the streets were empty. No children play in the gutters, no men dawdling near shops. It was just as deserted as the Dark Order was a few hours ago. Shaking his head with confusion, he nimbly hopped from roof to roof, dust rising from the shingles. Just as sudden as a slap in the face, a giant mansion rose before the Exorcist, as if it had just appeared there. It startled Cheshire so much, he almost fell of the roof he was standing on.

Craning his head and looking up at the spiralling edifice of the Noah's home, he couldn't help but feel as if they put way too much work into the place they lived. Deciding that the comments could wait, he grew a pair of black, slick wings and floated up to the front door. He wondered if it could even be used as a front door, considering whoever used it would fall several hundreds of feet. Sighing in wonder, he pulled the door open and waltzed inside. Retracting his wings, he sauntered through the walkway.

The walls were immaculately hung with pictures of people with skin as black as Road's. There was a boy with startlingly blond hair, which stood out from his skin like the halo on an angel. Another was an older looking man, but not old enough to be considered 'old'. His hair, unlike the first boy's, was black and curly, with a tipped hat perched on top of his head. More yet, there was yet an even more unusual looking character. His hair was white as the snow in December, with a crooked grin dancing upon his lips. His hair was pulled down over one of his eyes, as a demented looking doll sat on his shoulder.

_What strange people the Noah are…_ Cheshire thought as he came upon a hall of corridors. He was presented with several different hallways, each of which looked quite frightening, yet enticing at the same time. They seemed to call to him, yet reject him entirely at the same times. With conflicting feelings nestling into his mind, he chose one of the middle-wise paths and strode down it with dwindling confidence. The room he found himself would probably not be considered a room at all, for instead of walls, pillars held the ceiling up. You could clearly see the area outside the room, which was alive with white, pristine buildings and well-kept bushes.

At the top of the table sat the man he had seen in the portrait, the one with the black curly hair. Next to him, Road sat obediently, like a dog, loyal to its master. Other people were sitting at the table, too, most likely the other ones in the pictures. But he didn't see them. All he saw was the black haired one at the end of the table. His hands clenched into fists as the man chuckled and leaned forward in his seat. Why hadn't he recognized him before, in the picture? Rage boiled within Cheshire like the roiling magma inside a dormant volcano.

"Ah…it seems we've met." The man said, entwining his fingers together, looking quite amused.

"You…you're-"

"Gilbert Nightray. I didn't think I'd see you again." He said, sipping from a silver goblet. He seemed to be quite 'okay' with this whole situation.

"You monster…" Cheshire hissed, his voice shaking. "You're the one who killed Alice."


	16. Chapter 16: Remember

***Warning!* **the chapter ahead is a relatively long one (for me), and may be the last or second last. It will have mature content, gore, as well as a very sad Cheshire. I know, the horror. I was also requested to add more Pandora Hearts characters in this, so I did. Unfortunately, I made Gilbert kind of evil. The lullaby I kind of imagined as Lilium from Elfen Lied. Senk you for supporting Forever for its time on Fan Fiction, and please enjoy the chapter!

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"Pardon?" Gilbert asked, mock surprise dazzling his face. "If I do remember correctly, it was you who drove your claws into her head."

Cheshire's face twisted into a look of horror and disgust at the same time, each one amplifying the other. "Yeah, but-!" he sputtered, but Gil had cut him off.

"But- you have no excuse. _You _were the one who killed her." He teased, a sick smile splitting his face.

After a long pause, and much rage-filled seething, he spoke. "Yes, I killed her." He hissed.

"Ah! So you admit it, hmm? Good for you. Now Road, tell him why he's here." He chuckled, taking his startlingly white gloves off.

"Teehee! Remember how I said we were going to play a game? Well, not really. I brought you here because I want to know something." She squealed, leaned over in her small chair. "Where the heart of the innocence is."

Cheshire looked almost surprised for a moment, but his anger didn't flicker for one moment. "I don't know where the heart is." He hissed. It was the truth, but Road's eyes were doubtful.

"Well then, I'll just have to pick my way through aaalllll of your memories." She giggled, smiling. Her smile held something sinister underneath it, like a charming gift that later turned out to be a bomb. "You see, as well as inter-dimensional travel, I have the ability to prosses people memories. Even ones they have forgotten themselves."

Horror dotted Cheshire's face like water seeping up through a grate in a sewer. His breath caught in his throat, and he found it hard to breath. This had been happening a lot lately. "But…you can't do that!" he shrieked, and started to turn away. Two strong, machine-gun clad Akumas drifted down from the ceiling and clamped their arms around him.

"Going somewhere?" one hissed, his friend giggling like a child on Christmas.

"Ack! Let me go, you stinky Akuma!" Cheshire howled, but they slammed him to the floor, making stars appear in his vision.

Road had left her chair and was standing in front of him, looking at the poor trapped cat as if he were a child that had done something wrong. "I know you know where it is." She said, suddenly serious. "I will find it."

Cheshire's eyes were fizzling in and out, like a candle caught in a breeze. His head felt as if it was full of water, and it was sloshing about, making everything as drippy as soup. The last thing he saw was Road's devious face smiling down at him as his vision turned black.

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When Cheshire awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he was strapped to a metal table, his hands painfully restrained. The second thing he noticed was that he was behind a glass wall, and that everyone from the Dark order was on the other side.

"…What?" he mumbled, but a searing pain gripped his mind and he was slammed back into the table. He heard his name shouted through the glass, but he couldn't sense who it was. Was it a girl? He thought it was.

"Silly boy, if you move, your brain will explode. Best stay still, mmkay?" Road whispered, patting his head. "In case you're wondering, I brought all your friends here to enjoy the experience of watching your whole life like a television. Maybe they'd like to see how you killed Alice, hmm? I'm sure they've all been _dying _to know!" she laughed out loud, the shrill sound resonating through the air. "See what I did there?"

Cheshire moaned, or did something with his voice. Maybe he was saying something. He didn't know what it was, but he felt himself falling sleepy again. A painful slap came to him, jarring him from his state.

"No! No sleeping, little Exorcist. You'd want to see this, too." She whined loudly, as another searing pain shot its way through his mind. To his surprise, a glittering panel of what looked like fog appeared in the air, making a crackling sound, like a broken TV. An image flickered on, but all that could be seen was a red, dark cave-like place.

"See? These are your memories. These are the first ones you've ever experienced. Right now, you're inside your mother's womb." Road said. She reached out, and touched the panel. Surprisingly, it flickered at her touch, rippling like water. She swiped her finger to the side, and it seemed time was fast forwarded. "Now your mom's in labor."

A shrieking scream pierced the air, followed by a blinding white light. It was almost as if Cheshire were seeing these things through his own eyes, reliving the life that had long passed. Another shriek pierced the air, but it was in terror instead of pain.

"What….what is that?" a woman was saying. He thought it was his mother, but it could have been anyone by his perspective. "Are you telling me…that's my baby?"

There were muffled shouts as everything came into focus. He was being held by a disgustingly horrified nurse, who was busily looking for a place to put him. After much searching, he was placed on a covered stool and none too gently. Then, he heard a man's voice.

"No! There's no way that's my son! He's got bloody claws, for God's sake! There's no way!" there was a loud crashing sound, like a tray being knocked over.

"Booorrriiinngg. There's nothing here that will teach me about the innocence." Road whined, as she swiped her finger across the pad, sending it whirring to a new position.

He was standing in a small room, at about the time when he was 10. His hands had shaped out nicely to the great claws he had today. His nails were nicely sharpened. His hair was clean. Although he looked cared for, his home was the definition of broken. His memories displayed him leaving his room and walking out to the kitchen.

He remembered that his father had committed suicide shortly after he was born, so he wasn't surprised to see his mother was alone. She was busily cutting some vegetable in the kitchen, looking unhappy. Against his will, Cheshire watched himself approach his mother. He couldn't hear what was being said, but it had obviously made his mother angry. There was a crack as her hand left a red mark on his face, his eyes welling up with tears.

Upset, he had run out of the house, and had kept running. He remembered he had run for miles, before exhaustion had made him stop. He had run to a sandy beach a small ways away from his house, where he had always run to when he felt upset. Walking just along the beach, right before the waves, he cried for his home, and his only family.

He must have walked for hours, because when he finally stopped, the sun had set below the sky. What had stopped him was a mysteriously glowing conch shell. Remembering that that was when he had first encountered innocence, he remembered that the glow was startlingly red instead of green. Caught by the majesty of the glowing shell, he had not hesitated to smash it open to see what was inside. The shell was filled with a glowing, red, gelatinous form that seemed to call him to it. Lightly touching it with his claw, it skittered up his arm and wrapped itself around each of his hands. He had felt a burning pain, like the burn from a cigarette. When it was done, he looked down to see twin, red crossed splayed across the back of his palms.

He had always wondered what they meant, but ever since, he had seen terrifying, balloon-like creatures lumbering around town. He remembered seeing a strange man, in a golden coat shooting at it. After he destroyed all the monsters, he had told Cheshire that he was an Exorcist, and that he belonged at the Dark Order.

Excited that he had a place left to go to, he had spent no time considering his course of actions. He had immediately travelled all the way to the towering cliff, and after climbing up its rocky side, had entered the Dark Order. When he had first arrived, the others were frightened of him, and had stayed away, in fear of being attacked of the cat-like child. It made him feel alone, but he had a bed to sleep in and food to eat.

He felt hungry all the time, and he felt he had to eat twice as much as everyone, despite his size. He had sat at the table one day, all alone. He was halfway through his 6th bowl of curry rice when a giggle had startled him. He turned around to see a small girl, about his age, wearing the same uniform as everyone else.

"You sure eat a lot, don't you?" she had said, sitting beside him. "I'm Alice. Welcome to the Dark Order!" Ever since the day she had greeted him, he had felt the longing to be by her side every moment of the day. She accepted him for his differences, and he had been grateful for her company. Her innocence was that of a bow and arrow, a weapon that could slay hundreds of Akuma in a row with a single attack. Every time she drew back her string, an arrow made purely of innocence would whip through the air, crashing through every Akuma in its path.

Cheshire and Alice had become the best of friends. They went on missions together, ate meals together, read together, and even occasionally slept in the same bed. Cheshire had always loved Alice, and he had been sure she had loved him back. As they grew older, they did more things together. They still did all of the things they used to, but they had started to become even closer together. They went from sharing personal belongings to innermost thoughts.

Alice had always been kind to him, and he had always done his best to be kind to her. They were almost one person. One day, they were told to go on a mission for innocence fragments. They had happily obliged, since they had always loved being together in any way. As they walked towards the train station, Alice had come out with a startling confession.

"Cheshire…there's something I need to tell you." She had whispered.

"Sure, Alice. You can tell me anything." He had consoled, grabbing her hand. She smiled gratefully.

"There's something wrong with my innocence." She whispered, shakily. "It's been that way for a long time now. My innocence is deteriorating, until I won't even be able to activate it anymore."

Cheshire had been shocked to hear this, since she always seemed so powerful in a battle. She didn't seem weak or brittle in any way. "I…I'm sorry…" he had whispered.

"What are you sorry for? It's not your fault." She had giggled. "Anyways, soon I won't be able to be an exorcist anymore. I'll be glad when it fully deteriorates, though. My hands are always hurting, and my arrows are becoming less and less effective against Akuma."

"But…you'll still be at the Dark Order…right?" he had asked shakily.

"Of course! I'd never leave you Cheshire. I'll become a finder, or something." She said, smiling. Her smile would make everything better, even on the worst of days.

After becoming reassured of her position in the Dark Order, they continued walking towards their destination. Cheshire had always loved being outside, especially if it was with Alice. They would watch the birds together, or scare some rabbits into the brush. They were always laughing. There wasn't much laughing on this mission.

They had been stopped on their journey, by a wondering traveler. He wore a fancy suit, with a decadent hat perched atop his head. He had said that he was lost, and he needed to get to the nearest town. Before Alice could speak, about a dozen Akuma burst from the bushes, ambushing the group.

She shakily equipped her weapon, the twisting spirals of her bow cracked and worn. It really was deteriorating. Destroying most of the Akuma, they had thought they would be okay, until the traveler removed his hat, revealing his plum-colored skin. Cheshire would never forget that face.

After a quick blow to the head, Cheshire had been knocked out. Even watching the panel, Cheshire had always regretted having lost consciousness so fast. Returning his attention to the images, he saw that he was just waking up. He looked around, and saw the pathway deserted. Quickly rocketing to his feet, his mind swaying, he walked up the path. There was no one in sight.

Panic rising in his chest, he walked farther down the path to see great pools of crimson blood strewn across the dirt. It stained the grass, and splattered the trees, giving everything the feel of a nightmare. His breath rattling in his chest, he started sprinting down the path, shrieking Alice's name. Hearing a small groan off to the side, he quickly stopped and looked to the ditches. The writhing shape he had seen had haunted his nights for as long as he could remember.

Shakily dropping to his knees, he turned over the writhing, moaning shape. Letting out a startled cry, it was indeed Alice. Her arms and legs had been mutilated, leaving bloody wounds where they were supposed to be. Blood streamed from her mouth as she moaned his name.

"A-Alice…It'll be okay, you hear me? It'll be okay." He gasped, her eyes fluttering. He didn't really believe himself. She clutched at her torn uniform, struggling to breathe.

"Cheshire…" she moaned. "What…happened?"

"I don't know Alice, but I'll get you out of here, I promise." He whispered, picking her up awkwardly. She called out in pain, leaving Cheshire to do nothing but stroke her hair and whisper sweet nothings as she began to leave him. She looked to be on the brink of death, but she still had enough life left to make one more request.

"Cheshire…I want you…to kill me…" she wheezed, catching him off guard.

"What? Oh, God, Alice…you know I can't do that…" he said, tears running down his cheeks.

"Cheshire…I've lived my whole life…in pain. Really, I have….this condition of mine…it's always paining me." She coughed. "I also have spent…my whole life…enslaved by the Akuma…forced to fight them…bound to them…"

"What…what are you saying?" he whispered, trying to keep his composure. If he lost his cool, she definitely would.

"If you kill me…it will be like you're freeing me…" she whispered, making him struggle to hear. "So, please…"

"Alice, please, I…I _can't_…" he begged, pulling her closer to him. He couldn't believe this was happening. It was a day that started like any other. It was just a normal day.

She tried to say something more, but her voice was just a series of gurgling noises. How could he have let this happen? He was supposed to be protecting her. He would never forgive himself. Deciding there was no other way, he pulled her into his arms, feeling her weak heart beat against his strong, panicked one. He leaned in real close to her face, to whisper some last words.

"Alice…did you know, that there's one spot on your brain, where if it fails, the whole body will die?" he whispered. "That's like you. If you leave me, I don't think I'll be able to continue living." She reached up and touched his face. She smiled weakly, and he treasured it as the last one he'd get from her.

Pulling her closer, he began to hum her favorite lullaby. It was mostly a sad song, and Cheshire sometimes didn't understand why she liked it so much. She would just say it sounded pretty, so he didn't argue much. She closed her eyes, and listened as he hummed the tune, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

"Cheshire…?" she whispered, her voice weak.

"Yes?" he whispered quietly.

"We'll still be friends…right?" she asked.

"Of, course, Alice. We'll be friends forever." He consoled, stroking her hair. "Forever."

As he finished, he punctured his claw into the side of her head, right into the spot he had earlier talked about. She went limp in his arms, and seemed so peaceful for a moment, almost as if she were sleeping. Silently weeping for his lost friend, he scooped her up and started to walk back to the Dark Order.

"Awwww, isn't that sweet. 3 Well, anyways, I know where the heart is now, so we can end this little slide show." Road said, interrupting the show of memories. Cheshire groggily lifted his head, another ball of grief knotting itself into his stomach. He had only recently gotten rid of his current one. Looking past the wall of glass, he saw many of the Exorcists and Finders had tears in their eyes.

Alice's brother stood at the front of the group. He was probably the worst of them all, as he cried silently in the mass of people. Why would they cry? Was it for him? He couldn't really focus on anything right now. His brain hurt from all the renewed memories. He felt exhausted.

"It's all obvious now! _You_ are the heart of the innocence!" Road squealed, patting him on the head. "Now, I'll just extract that for you, mmkay?" She took out a giant needle, filled with a murky, purple liquid.

There was the sound of yelling from behind the glass, and the vibration of pounding fists. Cheshire tried to lift his head, but stars twinkled in front of his vision, forcing him to stay down. Moaning in annoyance, he flopped over. He just wanted this to end. Opening an eye, he saw the exorcists behind the wall vigorously trying to break it. He saw a giant hammer crack against the glass, as well as a silver, clawed hand scrape at the material. His mind spun, and he receded into the dark safety of his mind. He shut himself into his mind, and ignored the outside world. He felt as if he had been drugged, and then drowned. He felt as if he were just a consciousness floating in space, without a body.

Then, the sound of a million exploding stars found its way to his ears, making his head ring out, as well as the bed he lay on vibrate. He felt a million needles tinkling onto his skin, making small points of stinging sensations. Was he dying? Was this what death felt like? He didn't have long to ponder this as his world spiraled away from him, leaving him to wander the lands of his mind, lost and unknowing.

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He was floating. His mind twisted and churned, like the waves he was floating upon. His eyes were open, although he didn't know how long they had been that way. The sky he stared up at was a pristine blue, with puffy little clouds fluffing their way across the sky. He felt oddly at peace, in this imagination land. He closed his eyes, and opened them again to see Alice floating above him. She smiled sweetly as she hovered just above him.

"…Alice?" he asked. "What are you doing in my imagination land?"

"Visiting you, silly! When you're dead, you can just pop into other people's minds, but only when they're comatose or something." She explained, just as giddy as the day we left for that mission.

"Really?" He asked. "Is there a God?"

"Teehee! I've been sworn to secrecy." She giggled, floating next to me.

"Aww. Well, that's no fun." He whined. "Hey, Alice…"

"Yes, Cheshire?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked, sadly. "Killing you, I mean."

She smiled that same old smile she always dished out to everyone, and took his hand in hers. Unlike a ghost, he could feel her, as if she were a real person. "Of course you did. I mean, look how happy I am. I'm not in pain anymore." She whispered, as the ocean around him started to drop down into space.

"Not…in pain…" he whispered, his mind going numb once again.

"I have to go, Cheshire. I'll visit you again the next time I can, okay?" she called, but he could barely hear her. He had already fallen out of the ocean, sinking into its depths, engulfed by the salty waters.

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A blinding light shone in his eyes, as muffled voices splattered around the room tunneled into his ears. Opening his eyes sleepily, he saw many people silently leaned over him. If they were silent, then who was it that was talking? There was Komui, and Lenalee, Bak-Sama and Allen, all leaning over him like worried little hens.

"Urrggghhhlrrrff…." He moaned, lifting his numbing hand into the air. Someone shouted out in surprise, as the light over him dimmed. His eyes focused on the worried faces clouding his vision like the ones in his imagination land.

"Cheshire! Are you…are you okay?" Lenalee asked him, trying to wave people away to give me more space.

He nodded, as it was the only communication he could do. Sighs of relief swept the room, as Komui ordered some people to get some things that would probably hurt later. Bak came up to the bed, a solemn look on his face.

"Cheshire…I…I didn't know-"he started, but Cheshire waved his hand at him, obviously dismissing the topic. Bak sighed, and put a hand on Cheshire's head. "Thank you."

Cheshire felt surprised for a moment, before smiling in return. As everyone gave their condolences on the horrible situation he had been put in, he waved them all away, stating that he never regretted the action he took. He had always thought he had freed her from whatever demons she had been facing, and he always knew she was in a better place. After he had healed, they had granted him full Exorcist rights, which meant he was permanently placed in a room on the upper floor.

Sometimes, he would be sad about Alice, but she visited him sometimes when he was sleeping. They would laugh, and imagine books to read, and enjoy themselves with whatever time they had. Although she wasn't there all the time, they would truly be together forever, just as Cheshire promised.

~The End~

**Thank you very much for reading my little story! I quite liked the ending myself, but I was always scared I'd make the Alice-scene too gory. Hey, I warned you in the above. ↑↑ Anyways, I'm already brewing up another Pandora Hearts/ D. Gray-Man story, which also features Cheshire and Alice, where Cheshire is actually an anti-Akuma weapon, and is wielded by Alice, the valiant Exorcist. The story I'm thinking of has no relation to this one. It won't be a prequel, or a sequel or any of that jazz. But thank you for participating in Forever, and please tune in to my other -Man and Pandora Hearts stories!**

**-Ashley (CheshireNeko122)**


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